Conventional sclerotherapy catheters include needles which are extendable and retractable beyond distal ends thereof. Such a catheter is typically inserted through an endoscope located at a desired position within the body. The catheter is pushed distally through the endoscope until a distal end of the catheter extends beyond a distal end of the endoscope. The needle is then extended from the catheter and inserted into the target tissue and a sclerosing agent is administered thereto to cause the target tissue to thicken or harden.
The needles typically utilized in conjunction with such sclerotherapy catheters are rigid, which hinders maneuverability of the catheters within endoscopes. Also, these needles often have a length of at least 1 cm to allow them to successfully puncture tissue and administer a sclerosing agent. The rigidity and length of the needles present difficulties in attempting to guide the sclerotherapy catheter through an endoscope and/or through a body lumen. That is, if advancing the catheter through an endoscope requires bending the sclerotherapy catheter around a tight radius, the needle may be exposed, puncturing the catheter and/or the endoscope. In some cases, the needle may prevent the sclerotherapy catheter from moving past the tight radius.